Cutter for hydraulic dredges



Oct. 15, 1935. E, MacFADYEN 2,017,816

CUTTER FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES Filed oct. e, 1934 Patented Oct. 15, 1935UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTTER FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES Loudon E.MacFadyen, Easton, Pa., assignor to Taylor-Wharton Iron & Steel Company,High Bridge, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 6,1934, Serial No. 747,233

4 Claims.

for guarding the suction head or nozzle and sizing l the excavatedmaterial that enters the suction line.

The principal object is to simplify foundry and machine problems and toprovide a relatively inexpensive cutterhead having means cast integraltherewith that will reject spoil that is too large for passage throughthe suction line and do it in such way as to prevent clogging of thesuction head or nozzle, the guard comprising spaced arms springingradially inward from the cutter spider and having an orbital 'path ofmovement in spiral order of arrangement in close proximity to and acrossthe mouth of the suction head.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, where- Figure 1 is an outer end elevation. Fig. 2is a side elevational view partly broken away and partly in section, thebetter to show the construction and arrangement of the guard integers.

Fig. 3,15 an inner end elevational view with the suction head insection.

The cutterhead 5 is equipped, as usual, with cutting and agitator arms 6having shaft'mountings 1 and 8. 'Ihe latter is a back ring or annuluswhich, according to my invention, is integrally formed with inwardlydirected guard iingers 9 in spiral order of arrangement addressed to thedirection of travel. Fingers 9 have relatively blunt heel portions I andrelatively sharp or angular toe portions Il. The fingers are of lengthadequate to guard the suction head or nozzle i2 and their spacedrelation and helical arrangement are such that at times they function inpairs, that is to say, vtwo of them are in lapping relation with thesuction head.

The merit and effect of the described construction, arrangement andcoordination of parts, is to prevent clogging of the suction line by theinstant rejection of masses of rock or spoil that would choke the line.10

Having described the invention, I claim:-

1. In a hydraulic dredge, in combination, a suction head, a cutterheadin operative relation therewith, and a back ring on the cutterheadhaving inwardly directed radial guard fingers 5 with free ends inlapping relation with the suction head.

2. In a hydraulic dredge, in combination, a suction head, and acutterhead in operative relation therewith, the back ring of thecutterhead having inwardly directed spirally disposed stubs Whose freeends trail the cutter across the mouth of the suction head.

3. In a hydraulic dredge, in combination, a suction head, a cutterheadincluding a back ring whose inside diameter is suiiicient to clear thesuction head, and stub members inwardly and radially sprung from theback ring and effective to size spoil entering the suction head.

4. In a hydraulic dredge, in combination, a suction head, a cutterheadincluding an integral back ring in operative relation therewith, andguard lingers sprung radially inward from the .back ring of thecutterhead and having relatively

